Josefina Hernalz by Camila Cardeñosa
Josefina Hernalz is an Argentine graphic designer, who is passionate about design and photography. She founded her studio Un Barco, with Tomás Fernandéz Treviño in 2014, based in the city of La Plata and specialises in branding, visual identity, and packaging design.
I’m huge fan of Josefina and the studio’s work and have to confess that I’ve spent hours sneaking a peak at their Instagram and Bēhance profiles. In addition to impeccable photographic work, each post contains expertly crafted and visually exciting design projects – it feels like a breath of fresh air on my Instagram feed every time they post something new.
Josefina discovered her creative passion while simultaneously studying both graphic design and architecture at university. When she co-founded Un Barco, she dreamt of being able to work on a project where she could combine the learning from both degree subjects. During our chat via Zoom she told me with great satisfaction, that her dream has come true, “the law of traction” as she describes it, with a big smile on her face. For some time now, Un Barco has been collaborating with Estudio Montevideo, an Argentine architecture studio, which they have admired for a long time. They collaborated on the branding and interior design of COC, a cocktail bar in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. This project, in my opinion, is the perfect example of the sensitivity and graphic richness in Josefina’s work – you can see and feel it.
Besides their impeccably executed branding projects, Un Barco is also recognised for its packaging design. Many of these projects have been published in blogs, books and specialised inspiration sites such as, Inspofinds, Mindsparkle Magazine and Behance. All of them have celebrated the infinite skill and strong concept behind each project. It is no surprise that their packaging work is crafted with absolute finesse and that they pay close attention to detail, from the design through to production.
Their packaging design projects utilise a variety of materials and printing techniques such as screen printing, offset, and letterpress, which creates outcomes that every designer would like to have in their personal collection. No doubt this is one of the reasons why Domestika – an online website that offers creative courses and has become a big thing within the Hispanic community – invited Josefina and Tomás to share their knowledge in a newly launched packaging course. The course guides participants through the creative processes behind their work and I’m sure that it will be both informative and inspiring.
Catching up with Josefina confirmed my deep admiration for her work at Un Barco. We chatted about the beginning of her career, her experiences of sharing a studio with Tomás, and different ways of finding inspiration in simple, daily moments. I am convinced that Josefina’s work will be recognised across borders and will continue to receive praise on a global level.
When did you realise that you were interested in design and that you wanted to work as a designer?
When I started studying design, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. In fact, during my second year, I started studying architecture and continued with both degrees simultaneously for the next two years. In the third year of my design degree, I realised that everything I liked about design could be connected and I could work across both areas using my graphic design skills. This realisation made up my mind. The truth is that graphic design has brought me so much satisfaction and I’m very happy I made that decision.
Tell me about your careers so far. What were the steps to get where you are?
I studied visual communication design at the National University of La Plata, a university city very close to Buenos Aires. I also studied photography at various local schools. During the last few years of my degree, I collaborated with a friend on a screen-printing project. It was really my first contact with the world of packaging, materials, inks and printing systems. After graduating, I worked as freelance designer until I met Tomás and we founded Un Barco together.
The two of us connected right away, initially thanks to our shared interest in photography, which was something that we both were passionate about. Moreover, we liked the same things and had a fairly similar look and feel for design and visual aesthetics. At first, we started working for very small brands and gradually for larger clients. The flow of work began to grow year after year. Fortunately, it has never stopped.
Can you tell us bit about your working relationship with Tomás?
We compliment each other very well and we don’t really have many moments of chaos between us. Tomás is more organised and methodical, whilst my approach is a bit more anarchic. We make it work together and both have great respect for each other’s ideas. Generally, we like the same things and almost always want to go in the same visual direction – we both love simplicity. We also like to work on printing projects and a lot of time thinking about how project proposals are going to materialise once they leave the initial planning stage.
Generally, we like the same things and almost always want to go in the same visual direction – we both love simplicity. We also like to work on printing projects and a lot of time thinking about how project proposals are going to materialise once they leave the initial planning stage.
What do you enjoy most about being a designer?
I really enjoy every step, from the initial creation process to the moment where the final pieces are finished and I start to think about the art direction for the project photos. One thing that gives me great satisfaction is knowing that I can work from anywhere.
In your experience, do you think there is equality for women in the world of design?
In my experience, I think that in the design industry inequality between men and women does not feel like it does in other business areas. Nevertheless, it is true that there is a female absence and lack of visibility in the history of design.
How do you get inspired? What are the first steps to start a new project?
I believe that inspiration can be found everywhere and can happen at any time. Travelling inspires me a lot, I think that during trips we are more likely to be permeable and receptive. Everything is new and surprising, and the experiences are likely to be stored in our personal memories. I’m also inspired by cinema, photography, and even routine actions such, as being in a supermarket and observing the packaging on display. The internet is also a great source of inspiration and I usually visit digital platforms and websites such as, Behance, Mindsparkle Magazine, Pinterest, Thisispaper, among others.
Before starting a new project, I usually extract keywords from the questions I ask the client about their project. From those keywords I start to look for trigger images and then I put together a mood board of references before finally starting to sketch ideas.
Before starting a new project, I usually extract keywords from the questions I ask the client about their project. From those keywords I start to look for trigger images and then I put together a mood board of references before finally starting to sketch ideas.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In general, it is difficult for me to see myself in 6 months, so this is a very tricky question to answer. But I think I would love to think of myself with many more projects to work on, and perhaps with a slightly larger team.
What designer, artist, photographer, creative inspires you?
I’m very inspired by Lotta Nieminen, a Finnish illustrator and graphic designer. Also by the photographer Arielle Bobb Willis and the designer Leta Sobierajski, both from New York.
Name three creative women whose work you find inspiring.
- Ingrid Picanyol, Spanish Graphic Designer
- Maria Luque, Argentine Ilustrator
- Martina Matencio, Spanish Photographer
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Article by Camila Cardeñosa
Camila Cardeñosa is one of our DesignbyWomen collaborators who has curated and written a series of inspirational features showcasing Spanish speaking female designers based in Latin America and Europe.